


Maps

by Akahana



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, akashi is fond of their memories together, collage AU, i love these two, nijiaka - Freeform, nijimura is a very decent cook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 20:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3950992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akahana/pseuds/Akahana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"so i'm following the map that leads to you" </p>
<p>Nijimura is a second year student at collage who happens to have a really nice job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maps

**Author's Note:**

> hello everybody, this is akahana!  
> it's actually the first time that i ever write a fic, it is kind of sloppy...  
> English is not my native language so you might find mistakes here and there, but i wish you'd forgive me for that.
> 
> this work is dedicated to my dear friend tulip who's very fond of akashi and nijimura.

It was late and rainy, Nijimura was nothing but tired, school work already consumed his senses, and now he had to work on a new dish. Maybe he should just put everything he finds in the fridge into a bowl, mash it together and call it “shuuzou’s melancholy” or “I don’t have a soul”, surely that would compensate for the lack of ideas he had at the moment.  

He is grateful though, for the fact that this job pays well and that he was already good at it due to the countless hours he spent in the kitchen cooking for his siblings.

Nasty cuts and burns used to decorate his hands, till one of the teachers at school asked him if he needs help, if someone was bullying him, or if he himself was hurting anybody.

“It’s nothing” he said, and brushed it off.

*** ***

 “There’s only one customer in the hall, he’s sitting by the big window, and he ordered several cups of coffee.” Said his colleague as he walked into the changing room to find Nijimura.

“Anything else?” he asked, while placing a small pin that held his name on the black t-shirt he was wearing.

“He wants to order something to eat now, but I told him he should wait for you.”

“Okay.” Nijimura replied whilst straightening out his uniform.

“Have a good night.” Tatsuya said, leaving since it was time for him to finish work.

“Don’t forget to lock your door.” was his curt reply.

Now, it was time for work.

He leaves the changing room into the dining hall, wondering what kind of person he’ll meet this time, the last time he did this “creating new dish” session he met a middle-aged woman who praised him highly for his cooking skills after trying all the new things he made.

But what he sees is red, a red that he would recognize between a thousand shades of the same color…

_That_  “red”. So he walks towards the table fast, startled when the young man shifts his attention from the laptop he’s working on to Nijimura.

“Akashi?!” he says, once he’s at the table, clearly surprised.

“Nijimura-san…”

He’d never seen Akashi widen his eyes like that, his eyes… They’re different. The redhead smiles, stands all poised and offers his hand, “Long time no see, Nijimura-san.”

But instead of shaking it, Nijimura raises his hand and ruffles Akashi’s hair. “You grew older..”

“We all did” Akashi replied, smiling gracefully, but with a hint of distance.

“How are you?”

He wonders, is it clear to Akashi that he looks tired? Fatigue is showing clearly on his sharp features, softening them… Blurring his piercing gaze and splashing grey around his eyes.

They’re different.

*** ***

They catch up; Nijimura now knows that Akashi is part-time working at one of his father’s companies while studying at college.

Then he starts asking about the others, Midorima, Murasakibara, Aomine, Haizaki, Kise, Momoi and Kuroko, he did know about them parting ways, his friends told him about it when he was in America. Akashi does not ignore it nor does he particularly talk about it, he just mentions a few things, and Nijimura keeps it that way.

“I never pictured you as a cook Nijimura-san.” Akashi says.

“I am a pretty decent one too.” He smiles at that.

“Oh? I would love to try something…”

It’s then that Nijimura realizes that he didn’t take Akashi’s order, didn’t cook a single thing, and he’s basically skipping work at this point.

“Shit… I’m really sorry, I didn’t take your order yet!” he says as he bolts out of his seat.

“It’s fine, what do you recommend?” Akashi asks, looking up at Nijimura.

Nijimura considers the question first then he answers “Soup.”

“Then, soup it is.”

“Anything specific?”

“Not really, just do whatever suits you.” Akashi replies with a small smile.

“Okay then, hey… Would you like to come and observe?”

He nods and they both move to the kitchen.

*** ***

Nijimura first starts with vegetables, he cuts them into small thin slices and he adds them to a pan, then he takes out some Chicken breast from the fridge and cuts that too, slices slightly bigger, then he adds it to a frying pan, cooking it a bit then finally he adds it to the soup, before closing the pan with a lid. He adds oatmeal and cooks it for about 15 minutes and serves it when it’s done.

Meanwhile Akashi is consumed in watching Nijimura work, tasting, mumbling things like “needs more salt” or “I should add more corn”, he’s kind of messy, but the smell definitely says something else.

Nijimura pours one serving and he decorates it with parsley, then he takes out a less formal bowl for himself and fills it too.

“Done!” he exclaims with a beaming smile.

“It looks lovely.” Akashi comments as he observes his meal.

He’s always extra happy when people comment, saying things like “it was really delicious” and “next time I’ll bring my best friend”. He thinks that this may even be the reason why he works as a cook.

“Wait till you taste it,” he says with a smirk.

*** ***

“This reminded me of one of the long training camps we had back in Teiko” Akashi reminisces.  

“Which one?” Nijimura asks, curiosity piqued.

“If you recall, the one where you had to cook us dinner because we missed the one the inn originally offered since practice stretched longer than expected.”

“Oh yes, I remember! Everybody panicked that day because Momoi was going to step in!”

“She could use a little help with her cooking skills,” Akashi chuckles, it is breathtaking for Nijimura. He’d forgotten how Akashi was, how he chuckled softly, how he carried himself proudly, how he could offer the most beautiful smile and the most cunning smirk.

He came to the terms of forgetting everything he felt for him, and now… Now he recalls it, part of him wished he didn’t.

“I swear to god everybody panicked even more when you didn’t step in to solve the “food” problem, sometimes it felt like you were the captain!” Nijimura laughs, partially laughing his feelings away.

He indeed did have several girlfriends after he graduated from Teiko, but sometimes his thoughts would wander back to Akashi, to the “I love you” that never surfaced. He wished he did tell him, but he also thinks that leaving things the way they were was the best for him, for them.

“Thank you for the meal.” Akashi mumbles while placing his spoon back into the now empty bowl.

“Did you like it?”

“Very much, Nijimura-san.” Akashi says as he smiles at Nijimura.

He’s content, and he thinks Akashi is too.

Picking up their bowls, he leaves for the kitchen.

*** ***

“Would you like some tea?” he asks while placing two cups on the table.

Akashi was reading a book now, the cover said “maps”, it had been on the table previously beside his personal laptop.

“Yes please.”

Nijimura sits, watching Akashi’s eyes slightly moving with every line that he finishes, gold, it’s befitting of him.

“What’s your favorite line?”

“Interested?”

“Yes… Tell me.” Nijimura says, lowering his head to rest it on his palm

“I was there for you in your darkest times, I was there for you in your darkest night, but I wonder where were you when I was at my worst down on my knees, and you said you had my back…  So I wonder where were you, that all the roads you took came back to me, so I’m following the map that leads to you,” he pauses. “It’s bitter-sweet, I am fond of it” Akashi says when he finishes reading

Nijimura understood what that implied, and he’s now taken aback by Akashi’s words, by his tone, by his everything.

“You know Nijimura-san…” Akashi says, looking straight into Nijimura’s eyes. “I loved you.”

What? How is he supposed to reply? What is he supposed to say? What does Akashi expect him to do?

“Akashi…” he said, his words sounding breathy as he spoke them.

“You don’t have to say anything, it was a long time ago, at the time we were kids and I never got the chance to put my feeling into words, so I simply cast them away.”

“Why wouldn’t you…”

“Say anything? As I cleared just now, I didn’t know how to put it into the right words, besides, you had enough problems to take care of,”

_What do you mean problems? Your feelings would never be a problem to me you idiot!_  is what Nijimura wanted to say, but he kept silent.

“I am not asking for anything, I just wanted you to know.” Akashi says with a bitter smile.

Then silence engulfs them, several ‘what ifs’ and alternative futures across Nijimura’s mind, if he just knew…

“I-if I knew…”

“You wouldn’t be able to do anything, your family needed you, you didn’t have the leisure of having a relationship, I myself didn’t, but sometimes I thought that since I deem it important enough, I will make time for it.” Akashi says.

He’s so calm and it irritates Nijimura.

After all these revelations, of Akashi’s feelings, of his care and thoughtful actions, Nijimura is sad…

Several minutes pass, Nijimura doesn’t say anything, Akashi doesn’t say anything either, they just sit there… That is, until Akashi’s phone vibrates and pulls them out of the tense silence.

“It’s my chauffer; he’s waiting for me outside.” Akashi states after looking at his phone.

He collects his belongings, then stands up, walking near to Nijimura who’s still sitting down. He lowers his frame and places a chaste kiss on Nijimura’s forehead, then he says “goodbye” and leaves.

After what seems like a decade, Nijimura decides to move. What catches his attention next is the now neglected book on the table.

He left it.

He left it for me.

Nijimura’s smile it bitter, it looks bitter, and it sure does taste bitter.

But he hopes that Akashi will come to pick up the book that he not-so-accidently “forgot”.

He’s sure that Akashi left it so Nijimura would read it, and he will.

*** ***

Akashi shows at the restaurant after exactly one month.

And Nijimura returns his kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> the lines akashi read from the book are actually lyrics from the song "Maps" by Maroon5, the title is also based off of the song, all rights go back to the owners of it and to fujimaki tadatoshi who owns nijimura and akashi.
> 
> reviews are very much appreciated.  
> i would love to thank my friend gemma who helped me working on it, if it was not for her i would still be procrastinating over whether i should write it or not. 
> 
> thank you for reading.


End file.
